Toe fastening means for a skate



March 1, 1960 c, JONES E AL 2,926,924

TOE FASTENING MEANS FOR A SKATE Original Filed July 25, 1956 INVENTOR.

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TOE FASTENING MEANS FOR A SKATE Original application July 25, 1956,Serial No. 600,218,

now Patent No. 2,841,405, dated July 1, 1958. Divided and thisapplication May 2, 1958, Serial No.

1 Claim. (Cl. 280-11.3)

This application is a division of our co-pending application Serial No.600,218, filed July 25, 1956, now Patent Number 2,841,405, issued July1, 1958.

' The invention relates to improvements in skates and is moreparticularly concerned with the novel construction and assembly of thetoe portion thereof and the toe strap thereon.

The roller skate disclosed herein, and embodying the features of thepresent invention is fabricated for the most part from tough nylonplastic or other suitable wear resisting moldable plastic material. Theskate consists of a minimum of pants all of which are easily and quicklyassembled in such manner that the skate may be adjusted readily througha range of sizes within the physical limits of its construction. Moreparticularly, the skate includes a toe portion and a heel portion, eachof which is molded and reinforced to withstand considerable abuse towhich such parts are ordinarily subjected. Each portion also, has moldedor otherwise formed integral therewith, a journal boss in which ismounted an axle for a pair of wheels. The two skate portions are joinedfor size adjustment toward and away from each other by a bridgingchannel bar which is slidably guided in each portion and has meansassociated with it and with said portions to secure said portionsthereto in any selected position of adjustment. Furthermore, the channelbar is preferably of metal and it is so associated with the portions asto coact with the journal bosses to reinforce the structure and thusfurther strengthen the molded plastic toe and heel portions.

The skate is further characterized by having novel means embodied in thetoe portion of the skate to accommodate and mount the toe strap and bythe inclusion of a novel toe strap having means therein to co-act withthe toe portion to facilitate its ready mounting.

It is therefore one of the objects of the present invention to provide arugged novelly constructed skate of the character described.

Another object is to provide a skate with a novelly constructed toeportion having an integral journal boss.

Another object is to provide a skate of the character described withmeans connecting the heel and toe portions for adjustment which meansfunctions to reinforce the said portions and the integral journalbosses.

Another object is to provide novelly constructed journal bosses.

Another object is to provide a novel toe strap and novel means mountingit detachably on the toe portion.

With the foregoing and such other objects in view which will appear asthe description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novelfeatures of construction, arrangement and combination of partshereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings,and particularly pointed out in the appended claim; it being understoodthat various changes in form, proportion, size and minor details of thestructure may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the invention, thereis illustrated in the accompanying drawings, a preferred embodimentthereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection withthe following description, the invention, its mode of construc tion,assembly and operation and many of its advantages, should be readilyunderstood and appreciated.

Referring to the drawings in which the same characters of reference areemployed to indicate corresponding or similar parts throughout theseveral figures of the draw mgs:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a roller skate embodying the invention. a

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view of the the portion.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view ofthe front end to the toeportion, on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the toe strap.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the roller skate illustratedcomprises a toe portion 5 and a heel portion 6 connected for adjustment,as to skate size, by a bridging bar or channel 7. Each of the portions 5and 6 is fabricated from suitable moldable material such as nylonplastic so as to be very durable and wear resisting while maintaining asufficient amount of resilience to resist breakage, chipping, etc.

As illustrated, the toe portion -5 is fabricated in one piece and itincludes a top wall 8 having a surrounding downwardly extending flange 9and a pair of longitudinally extending spaced parallel webs 11 on itsbottom face. The webs 11 define an inverted longitudinal channel betweenthem that opens onto the rearwardly disposed edge of the toe portion.The toe portion 5 also carries an integral hollow journal boss 12. Inorder to permitthe entire toe portion to be molded or cast in one piece,the journal boss 12 is made hollow as shown and with its core opening inthe top wall 8. The journal boss includes end walls 13 and convergingfront and back walls 14-15. The front wall 14 extends to and is integralwith the top wall 8, thus affording a three wall connection between saidboss and said top wall. The end walls 13 are offset inwardly from theconnected webs 11 so as to define upwardly facing internal shoulders 16for a purpose to be explained presently. The journal boss 12 provides amounting for an axle 17 on which a pair of front wheels 18 is mounted.

The heel portion 6 also is fabricated of the same material and in amanner similar to the toe portion. It includes a top wall 19 having anupstanding heel stop 21 formed of two material thicknesses 21a--21b,with a space 22 therebetween which opens into a slot 23 on each end.Also formed integral with the top wall 19 are a pair of laterally spaceddepending parallel webs 24, similar to webs 11, defining an invertedlongitudinal channel between them that opens onto the forward edge ofthe heel portion. A hollow journal boss 25 is formed integral with theheel portion 6 and, as shown, this boss depends from the bottom face ofthe top wall 19.

The end walls 26 of the hollow journal boss 25 are integral with thespaced webs 24 and the front and back walls 27 and 28 of said bossterminate substantially in the plane of the bottom edges of the webs 24so as to leave, between the upper edges of said walls 27 and 28 and thebottom surface of the top wall 19, aligned openings 29 in register withthe inverted longitudinal channel between the webs 24. The end walls 26are spaced inwardly slightly from each related web 24 so as to provide apair of upwardly facing shoulders 30 for a purpose to be made apparentpresently. The journal boss 25 provides a mounting for an axle 31mounting a pair of back wheels 32.

sated meanness, the heel portion and the toe portion are connectedtogether for longitudinal adjustment toward and away from each other bya bridging channel bar 7. The channel bar 7 is fabricated from sheetmetal stock and it is of a width to fit snugiy into the longitudinalchannels between the pairs of webs 11-24 on the respective portions and6. The side flanges of the channel bar erect a depth to fit snuglybetween the bottom surfaceof the top walls *8 and 19 andtherelat'ed-shoulders 16 -30 so as to thereby absorb some of the stressimposed upon the journal bosses 1'2 and 25 and the webs 11 and 24 towhich they are connected.

Each portion 5 and 6 of the skate preferably has a substantially squarerecess 33 in its top wall with a central aperture therein to receive thesquare head and threaded shank of a bolt that project-s through 'a slot35 in the related end of the channel bar 7. A washer 35 and wing nut 37inounted on the shank of each bolt alfo'rds means for secu'r'ingthe'skateportions 5 and=6 and. channel bar 7 adjusted relative to eachother.

,The skate is adapted to be held removably on the -shoe of the wearer bymeans of an ankle strap 38 and a toe strap 39. The ankle-strap 38isthreaded through the slots '23 "in the ends of the double walled heelstop 21. The toestrap 39-is specially formed to be engaged detachably,in a novel manner, with the toe portion 5 in front of the journal boss12 thereon. This strap is best shown in Fig. :6, wherein it will-beobserved that it includes a relatively wideintermediateportion or area41 and narrow endportions 42, oneof which carriesa buckle 43 and theother of which is suitably perforated to co-act with the buckle. Thewide -in-termediate area 41 of the strap is disposed "beneath thetoeportion and is cut away, as at 44, to accoinmodate the journal boss12. It is also formed with laterally opposed notches 45 that are sospaced as to -regi'sterwith cut-back recesses 46cm the side edges oflaterally aligned-notches 47-forrned-in the side portion ofthe'dependingfiange9 ofthe toep'ortio-n (Fig. 5). This "arrangement'issuch that the toe strap 39 may be'easily '4 and quickly snapped intoand out "of engagemenrwith the notches 45 and, when engaged, is heldagainst displacement and loss.

It is believed that the invention, its mode of construction andassembly, and many ofjits advantages should be readily understood fromthe foregoing without further description and it should also be manifestthat while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed for illustrative purposes, the structural details arenevertheless capable of variation within the purview of the invention asdefined in the appended claim.

What is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is: g

In a skate, a toe portion having depending side edge flanges and a wheelcarrying boss centrally locatedthereon and depending therefrom, saidflanges having transversely aligned notches therein opening onto theirlower edges, said notches having recessed side edges, and astrap'ineluding a wide intermediate portion arranged beneath said toeportion adjacent to saidboss and threaded through the notches, saidintermediate portion having a recessed iedge partially embracing theboss, and notches on opposed edges of said intermediate portion engagedwith the recessed side edges of the notches to prevent strapdisplacement.

References Cited .in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D.184,398 Jones et a1. Feb. 10, .1959

38,591 Luce May 19,1863 1,017,551 Johnson Feb. :13, 1912 1,749,139Joslin 4, 1930 2,190,316 Harris Feb. 13, 1941) 2,841,405 Jones et a1July .1 11958 OTHER REFERENCES Popular Mechanics, November 1949, page150.

